National:
Delhi Assembly passes Delhi Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services Amendment Bill, 2015
Delhi Assembly Delhi (Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services) Amendment Bill, 2015 aimed at providing citizens with time bound delivery of Government services. The bill amends Delhi (Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services) Act, 2011.
Key provisions of Amendment Bill
Seeks to make the life of common man hassle free by providing services in a time bound manner.
Ensure mandatory and automatic compensation for citizens if government services are not provided to them in time.
Mandatory for each government department, local body and public authority will issue a ‘Citizen’s Charter’.
They would set out in detail the time stipulated for provision of citizen-related services and the officer responsible for providing it.
Imposes penalty on officials for delay in providing services.
Marathi, Bengali films shortlisted for 2015 UNESCO Fellini Medal
Marathi film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali and Bengali film Cinemawala are among the twelve films shortlisted for prestigious 2015 UNESCO Fellini Medal.
Katyar Kaljat Ghusali has been directed by actor-turn director Subodh Bhave, while Kaushik Gangualy has directed Cinemawala.
International Film Festival India (IFFI) 2015 in collaboration with the Paris based International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT) will present a Fellini Medal for first time in India.
The award will be bestowed upon film, which reflects the ideals promoted by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Other films competing for 2015 edition of Fellinin Medal are: Mina Walking, Among the Believers, The Last Reel, Embrace of the Serpent, Land and Shade, The Pearl Button, Enclave, Wawa no Cidal, Ain and Valiya Chirakulla Pakshikal.
About UNESCO Fellini Medal
UNESCO’s Member States had instituted this prize in 1995 after passing resolution on General Conference for the safeguarding of the cinematographic heritage. The first Fellini medal was unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1995.
It was instituted after death of Italian film director Federico Fellini in 1993 as an appeal to the international community to participate in a campaign to keep the seventh art alive.
International:
Antonio Costa named as Prime Minister of Portugal
Atonio Costa, the leader of Portugal’s Socialist Party was named Prime Minister of Portugal.
He was appointed as PM by President Anibal Cavaco Silva and has tasked him to form a new government due to political instability caused by an inconclusive 2015 general election results.
With this, for the first time in history of Portugal Socialist government came to power with the support of Communists parties after dictatorship was overthrown in 1974.
Background
After Portugal’s 2015 general election, moderate Socialist Party in coalition with the Communist Party and Left Bloc was able to secure a 122-seat majority in the 230-seat parliament. This coalition had forced then ruling centre-right coalition government led by Pedro Passos Coelho to resign as the election mandate did give a clear majority to any Party.
About Antonio Costa
Atonio Costa was born on 17 July 1961 in Lisbon, Portugal. By profession he is lawyer.
He traces his paternal roots to Goa (India) and is son of Orlando Costa, an accomplished poet and writer. His grandfather, Luis Afonso Maria da Costa hailed from Goa.
Earlier, he had held several positions in previous governments and in the European Union (EU) including Minister of Parliamentary Affairs (1997-1999), Minister of Justice (1999-2002) and Minister of State and Internal Administration (2005-2007).
In 2004 he was elected as one of the 14 Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament and also had served on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
He was Mayor of Lisbon City from 2007 to 2015. He was elected as Secretary-General of the Socialist Party in September 2014.
Interesting Fact: Portugal was the first western country to colonise some parts of India in the early sixteenth century and the last to leave in 1961.
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